Structure of RNase Sa2 complexes with mononucleotides--new aspects of catalytic reaction and substrate recognition.

Although the mechanism of RNA cleavage by RNases has been studied for many years, there remain aspects that have not yet been fully clarified. We have solved the crystal structures of RNase Sa2 in the apo form and in complexes with mononucleotides. These structures provide more details about the mechanism of RNA cleavage by RNase Sa2.

The thioredoxin system from Streptomyces coelicolor.

This paper describes the cloning, purification and characterization of thioredoxin (TrxA) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) from bacterial strain Streptomyces coelicolor . The genes of S. coelicolor encoding TrxA and TrxR were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, inserted into pET expression vector and used to overexpress these proteins in Escherichia coli .

Cleavage site selection within a folded substrate by the ATP-dependent lon protease.

Mechanistic studies of ATP-dependent proteolysis demonstrate that substrate unfolding is a prerequisite for processive peptide bond hydrolysis. We show that mitochondrial Lon also degrades folded proteins and initiates substrate cleavage non-processively. Two mitochondrial substrates with known or homology-derived three-dimensional structures were used: the mitochondrial processing peptidase alpha-subunit (MPPalpha) and the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR).

Dimer-induced signal propagation in Spo0A.

Spo0A, the response regulator protein controlling the initiation of sporulation in Bacillus, has two distinct domains, an N-terminal phosphoacceptor (or receiver) domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding (or effector) domain. The phosphoacceptor domain mediates dimerization of Spo0A on phosphorylation. A comparison of the crystal structures of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated response regulators suggests a mechanism of activation in which structural changes originating at the phosphorylatable aspartate extend to the alpha4beta5alpha5 surface of the protein.

The activities of the two thioredoxins from Streptomyces aureofaciens are not interchangeable.

The physico-chemical features of the NADPH-thioredoxin reductase (TRR) and two thioredoxins from Streptomyces aureofaciens (A14) are reported. The activity of pure S. aureofaciens thioredoxin reductase decreased drastically in the presence of NADPH or NADH while NADP(+), NAD(+), as well as S.